Luis Augusto Turcios Lima
Encyclopedia
Luis Augusto Turcios Lima (November 23, 1941 - October 2, 1966) was a Guatemalan army officer and leader of the Rebel Armed Forces
(FAR). He died in 1966, in a car incident, when a bomb exploded inside his austin mini cooper.
Luis Turcios entered the military service at age 15, graduating as second lieutenant. He then received commando training at Fort Benning, Georgia
. On his return, he participated in the 13th of November 1960 military uprising against President Miguel Ydígoras
, after military service in Petén
.
Eduardo Galeano writes about the mythic aspect attributed to Turcios Lima in his 1967 Guatemala: Occupied Country:
"The previous leader of the Rebel Armed Forces, Luis Augusto Turcios, was also a legendary figure for the peasants, who attributed supernatural virtues to him. He was a hot-blooded young officer who learned the technique of the guerrilla from the Yanquis themselves--in a course at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. [i.e. School of the Americas], on how to combat it. Dictator Peralta Azurdia put a price on his head and he put one on dictator Peralta Azurdia's. After he took to the hills in 1960, he mocked death a thousand times. Absurdly, death won because his car caught fire on the highway."
Rebel Armed Forces
The Rebel Armed Forces was a Guatemalan guerrilla organization established in 1961 and lasting until the peace agreements in 1996.FAR is most significantly known for having killed the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, John Gordon Mein, in 1968. Also killed that year were two U.S...
(FAR). He died in 1966, in a car incident, when a bomb exploded inside his austin mini cooper.
Luis Turcios entered the military service at age 15, graduating as second lieutenant. He then received commando training at Fort Benning, Georgia
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
. On his return, he participated in the 13th of November 1960 military uprising against President Miguel Ydígoras
Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes
General José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes was President of Guatemala from 2 March 1958 to 31 March 1963. He took power following the murder of Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas....
, after military service in Petén
Petén (department)
Petén is a department of the nation of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest in size — at it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area. The capital is Flores...
.
Eduardo Galeano writes about the mythic aspect attributed to Turcios Lima in his 1967 Guatemala: Occupied Country:
"The previous leader of the Rebel Armed Forces, Luis Augusto Turcios, was also a legendary figure for the peasants, who attributed supernatural virtues to him. He was a hot-blooded young officer who learned the technique of the guerrilla from the Yanquis themselves--in a course at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. [i.e. School of the Americas], on how to combat it. Dictator Peralta Azurdia put a price on his head and he put one on dictator Peralta Azurdia's. After he took to the hills in 1960, he mocked death a thousand times. Absurdly, death won because his car caught fire on the highway."